Early morning birding in the garden of the Morgan Kunda Lodge delivered good views of a Yellow-crowned Gonolek, African Thrush, White-billed Buffalo Weaver, and Variable Sunbird. Although The Gambia is deemed to be a small country, a long day of driving lay ahead of us as we set off in the direction of the coast. At Farafenni we turned south on the Trans-Gambia Highway and crossed the Gambia River over the impressive Senegambia Bridge. We were lucky - before the bridge was built a ferry crossing could add hours to your trip.
Driving west along the river we birded a patch of sandy bush near the village of Kaiaf. This area teemed with raptors – I think Karanta called it Raptor Alley. We found Lanner Falcon, Brown Snake Eagle and Lizard Buzzard. Karanta’s disappointment in not finding more raptors was offset by his joy in finding a pair of Spotted Thick-knees – a rare find in The Gambia. I think I inadvertently burst his bubble when I told him that these birds are quite common at home. They patrol the streets at night and catch insects attracted by the streetlights. A track leading further into the bush revealed Beautiful Sunbird, Senegal Eremomela, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, and Pale Flycatcher. A Melodious Warbler started to call on the side of the track and then came out and displayed its olive-green plumage. This Palearctic migrant was a great find and a new tick on the year-list.
It was getting late, and we still wanted to do some coastal birding. We bypassed the capital of Banjul, booked accommodation in the coastal town of Serrekunda and then headed to the fishing village of Tanji. Here the air was filled with the odour of decayed fish and other less identifiable smells. An unimaginable number of flies swarmed around rotting fish intestines and chopped-off fish-heads, fins and tails. Fishermen were offloading their catch from pirogues, while Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Grey-headed Gulls hovered overhead looking for scraps. Drifting plastic bags, bottles and other flotsam and jetsam floated on the water or lay discarded on the shore. From Tanji we hiked the coastline northwards in the direction of the Karinti Bird Reserve. Here the beach was far cleaner and relatively deserted, with the exception of a herd of meandering cattle. The nearby sandbars and lagoons were teeming with coastal birds. Within minutes we ticked Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover, Common Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover and Common Redshank. Hundreds of Caspian Terns on a sandbank mingled with a few Lesser Crested Terns and a pair of Royal Terns – both latter terns being new birds on the year-list. On our way back to the car a Western Osprey swooped down and caught a fish near us in the lagoon. As it flew off with its catch, silhouetted against the orange sunset, it made the perfect backdrop to the conclusion of my birding tip to The Gambia.
